1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technique for editing, arranging, and displaying a plurality of images by using an information processing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is an information processing apparatus such as a personal computer that is capable of capturing an image file by using an application program so as to display the image file on a display screen. In addition, there is a PC that is capable of creating an electronic album by arranging a plurality of images on a plurality of pages by using an application program.
Further, there is a PC that is capable of capturing an image file by photographing with a digital camera and uploading the image file to an image management server via a network so as to share an image with other users.
Among conventional electronic album creation apparatuses as described above, there is an electronic album creation apparatus that is capable of confirming, by an instruction of a creator of an album, whether an image file to be captured in an electronic album overlaps with an image file already captured, based on attribute information such as a file name of the image file, and issues a warning to the creator of the album if there is an overlapping image file.
In recent years, a digital camera can photograph an image having an excellent quality which enables sufficient printing and display in an electronic album even in the case of a cropped image obtained by extracting only one part of an image.
However, a conventional electronic album creation apparatus as described above has following defectives when an image file is loaded into an electronic album while confirming whether the same image file is already used based on attribute information such as a file name.
FIG. 33 illustrates one defective as an example. The example as shown in FIG. 33 shows three images 3301, 3302, and 3303. Each of the images 3301, 3302, and 3303 is obtained by cropping different areas of one image file 3304. In the example as shown in FIG. 33, the creator of the album desires to intentionally capture the same image file so as to use the images of different portions of the image file for the electronic album.
FIG. 34 illustrates another defective as an example. An image 3401 is obtained by enlarging an image 3402. Thus, images can be obtained by changing a display magnification and enlarging a whole part of one image in multiple steps. Also in this case, the creator of the album desires to intentionally capture the same image file in an overlapping manner so as to use an image magnified or reduced at a different magnification for the electronic album.
However, in a conventional album creation apparatus as described above, whether the image files mutually overlap, is determined based on attribute information such as a file name of each image file at a time of capturing the image files. Accordingly, an intent of the creator of an album is not considered, and a warning is issued even when different forms of the same image file are used in the electronic album. This requires the creator of the album to inconveniently respond to the meaningless warning.
In a conventional album creation apparatus as described above, the determination as to whether the image files overlap is made at the time of capturing the image files. Accordingly, once the image files are taken into the album, no warning is issued to the creator of the album even if the creator of the album completes editing of the album forgetting the processing for cropping the image, or magnification and reduction processing. Accordingly, a plurality of similar images may be included in the album, and thus the creator of the album may undesirably obtain a failed print product and preview image of an album.
In addition, since an electronic album includes a number of pages and images, in a case where a warning of overlapping images is generated, there is a need to notify a user where an image is placed which overlaps with the image that the user desires to use.
Further, in a case where a plurality of users create an electronic album in cooperation using a server on a network, the users often desire to be able to easily know what kind of images are utilized by other users and in what situation, so as to prevent unintentional use of an overlapping image.
In addition, there is a case where even when the image that the user desires to use overlaps with an image existing in an electronic album, the user absolutely wishes to use the image. In this case, the addition of the overlapping image by the user can disturb the other user who has registered the same overlapping image. Accordingly, in this case, there is a need to send a message to the other user to that effect.